Envelope machine



June 23, 1936. L. .c. FEARCE ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, .1931 16 Sheets-Shqet l (Hy/5 C P596615 ATTORNEYS Y INVENTOR. v

June 23, 193 c EAR E 2,045,490

ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1951 16 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Aims C PAW/e Cf A TTORNEYS 16 Shets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Znws 6? P092 05 *3 V v w W 3 A Filed Sept. 4, 1931 June 23, L c PEARCE I ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1931 16 Sheets-Sheet 4 v N v INVENTOR.

June 23, 1936. c. PEARCE ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1931 16 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N VEN TOR.

7 A TTORNEYS June 23, 1936.

| c. PEARCE 2,045,490

ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1931' 16 Sheets-Sheet 6 A TTORNEYS June 23, 1936. L. c. PEARCE 2,045,490

ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1931 16 Sheets-Sheet 7 I 7 Ea. 6 {P INVENTORT [in w 6 26/4865 v jfiORNEYS 16 Sheets-Sheet 8 L. C. PEARCE ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1931 June 23, 1936.

I INVENTOR. [M05 6. P672965 ATTORNEYS.

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ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1931 16 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY6.

June 23, 1936. c. PEARCE ENVELOPE MACHINE l6 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Sept. 4, 1951 INVENTOR. ZEN/5 C Pfizer s 0 ATTO June 23, 1936. c PEARCE 2,045,490

ENVELOPE MACH I NE Filed Sept. 4, 1951 16 Sheets-Sheet l1 FIG. /3

INVENTOR, W J 6 7@ Cf A TTO June 23, 1936. L. c. PEARCE 2,045,490

ENVELOPE MACHINE l6 Shets-Sheet 12 Filed Sept. 4,

w W v INVEN TOR. Z 15' WA? 5 P091? cf ATTORNEYS jgdi vpawwc wg June 23, 1936. c. PEARCE ENVELOPE MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1931 16 Sheets-Sheet 14 4 w Q Ma 5 3 E 1 INVENTOR. 15M: 6 PAW/66f ATTORNEYS.

L. C. PEARCE ENVELOPE MACHINE June 23, 1936.

Filed Sept. 4, 1951 16 sneets-sheet ls I INVENTOR. 15m: 6 PI /ea:-

June 23, 1936. PEARCE 2,045,490

' ENVELOPE MACHINE v Filed Sept. 4, 1931 16 Sheets-Sheet 1G "FL, 4 N 4 Jim. 32 E6. 53

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' BY 126.43 my 0? Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE MACHINE Application September 4, 1931, Serial No. 561,244

- .7 Glalms. (01. 93-61)- This invention, relating, as indicated, to an envelope machine is more particularly directed to an apparatus in which an envelope may have printed matter placed thereon, and then have a fastener attached thereto, after which a patch is applied to the flap of said envelope.

An outstanding difllculty had with; the envelope machines of the prior art is that the clasp or fastener mechanism has to operate entirely too fast. In some instances the ratio is 4 to 1, and this rapid speed of the fastener mechanism causes numerous breakdowns and renders the machines generally inefficient.

Another disadvantage of most of the patented envelope machines is that no wide range in sizes of envelopes could be taken care of by one machine.

A further disadvantage of prior machines is that most of them employ gripping means for holding the envelopes while the fasteners are attached, and such means have proved objectionable because the envelopes, being of paper, may be easily torn or mutilated, thus incurring a large amount of waste.

The inefficiency of previous machines of this type has been proven by the fact that in almost any envelope plant a number of such machines will be seen which have been junked, and the plants have used hand labor to feed the envelopes to the fastener applying mechanism. The average number of envelopes which can be dperated upon by hand a day is 16,000 whereas in my improved machine 32,000 envelopes can have printed matter placed thereon, fasteners attached, flaps perforated and patches applied to the portion of an envelope surrounding said perforation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine which is free from the above disadvantages andv one which is just as capable of operating upon large envelopes as well as small envelopes.

Throughout the specification. and claims it will be seen that the subject-matter of this application is directed to a means for applying a fastener to an envelope but, of course, it will be understood that the fastener may just as 5 of Fig. 4.

' in Fig. 11.

chanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings-- Fig. 1 is a front elevation. I Fig. 2 is a rear elevation. 5 Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a plan view taken from above of the feed and printing mechanisms.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section taken on the line 6-8 of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the carrier wheel taken on the line l-i of Fig. 8.

Fig. 8' is a central vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is an elevation of a portion of Fig. 1 on a magnified scale showing the fastener applying mechanism in retracted position.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 with the fastener applying mechanism in operative position.

Fig.9. 11 is a plan view taken from above of Fig.

Fig. 12 is a detail view of the fastener anvil.

Fig; 13 is a plan view taken from above of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 isa sectional view taken on the line "-14 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a detail view taken on the line I5I5 of 111g. 10 of the anvil operating means.

Fig. 16 is a horizontal section taken on the line I 6l6 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 17 is arsectional view taken on the line l||'| of Fig. 8. s

Fig. 18 is a detail sectional view of the patch applying mechanism.

Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken on the line |9--l9 of Fig. 20. I Fig. 20 is a central vertical section taken through the center of wheels 288 and 208' shown Fig. 21 is a detail view of a portion of Fig. 22. Fig. 22 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 22 of Fig. 20.

Fig. 23 is a detail view of a part of Fig. 20. Fig. 24 is a perspective view taken from the rear of the fastener slot or conduit.

Fig. 25 is-a similar view taken from the front. Fig. 26 is a detail view showing the fastener applying mechanism removing a fastener from the fastener slot.

Fig. 27 is a vertical section of the end of the fastener applying mechanism.

' of Fig. 29.

Fig. 31 is a view similar to Fig. 29 showing the fastener applying mechanism in operative posi -tion.

Fig. 32 is a plan view of an individual envelope prior to the application of the fastener thereto.

Fig. 33 is a view similar to Fig. 32 showing the fastener applied.

Fig. 34 is a plan view of an individual fastener.

Fig. 35 is a side'elevation of a fastener.

Fig. 36 is a view similar to Fig. 34 after the fastener has been perforated. 4

Fig. 37 is an enlarged section taken on line Sl-S'l of Fig. 36.

Fig. 38 is a view similar to Fig. 32 showing an individual envelope with a patch and fastener applied thereto.

Fig. 39 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3939 of Fig. 38.

Fig. 40 is a plan View of a portion of the tape from which the patches or reinforcements are made.

Fig. 41 is a side elevation of Fig. 40.

Fig. 42 is a plan view of an individual patch.

Referring now to the drawings, and especailly to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that my improved apparatus consists of power means generally designated at A and adapted to operate the entire mechanism by means of belts, chains, sprockets, etc. A magazine is shownat B, which is the initial feeding means for the envelopes to which the fasteners are to be attached. Immediately adjaent the envelope feeding means is a printing press C, and this press has its outlet in line with a carrier wheel D, in such a manner that envelopes which have been printed are received by the carrier wheel. A fastenerfeeding means is illus- PowEs Means Referring now more specifically to Figs. 1, 2 and 8, it will be seen that a base I is provided upon which a motor support 2 rests, the base i serving for the entire apparatus. A motor 3 is illustrated, which has a. shaft 4 upon which pulleys are mounted, the outermost pulley being smaller than the-innermost. The inner pulley has a belt 5 encircling it and this belt also encircles a pulley 6 fixed to a shaft 7 of an air pump 8, the inlet 9 of such pump having a conduit l0 connected thereto which in this instance may be a rubber hose, and the outlet ll of such pump being opposite to the inlet 9. Briefly, the function of the air pump is to provide a means of suction to remove the lowermost envelope in astack of envelopes in the magazine, and to feed the envelopes to a printing press.

The outer smaller pulley on the shaft 5 has a belt 52 which encircles it and a pulley it heed to a shaft M, this last named shaft having a smaller pulley l3 located inwardly of the pulley it. A belt i'l transmits power from the pulley it to the pulley i8 mounted on shaft i9, this shaft it being the main source of power for most of the various mechanisms, through the medium of the various sprockets and cams shown in Fig. 8.

A means of applying and releasing the power is shown consisting of a lever 26 having a handle 25, the lever being fixed by means of a set screw 2G to a transverse shaft 2?, the latter shaft extending the full width of the apparatus and hav ing connected thereto at the opposite end a link 28.

This link 28 is connected to another link 3t by means of a pivotal connection 29 and the link 36 is in turn connected to an arm 32, the last named aim being fixed to a shaft 33. The shaft 33 has another arm 34 extending in a direction opposite to that in which the arm 32 extends and the said arm 34 has a bent portion 35 upon which the idle roller 36 is rotatably mounted. It will be obvious that when the lever 25 is moved in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, the link 28 will likewise move in a clockwise direction and the idle roller 26 will release the tension on the belt H so that all movement of the shaft i9 ceases. A locking means 37 is shown, which maintains the links 28 and 30 in alignment, thus maintaining the idle pulley in operative relation with respect to the belt ll.

ENVELOPE FEEDING MEANs The envelope feeding means is generally designated at B and is to be seen at the extreme left hand portion of Fig. 1, details of which are shown in larger proportions in Figs. 3 and 4. The magazine 55 is supported on a frame which in this instance comprises uprights ii, 42, M and 15, all of which are attached to the base I. The uprights 4| and 42 have a longitudinal connecting member 43, and as will be seen, the frame consists of pipe sections, but of course may be made of any suitable material. At the opposite side of the apparatus there is another longitudinal support 46 joining the uprights M and 65, and at the extreme end an upper transverse member 31 connects the end uprights 4| and M.

An envelope magazine is shown consisting of a 5 bottom plate 55 and vertical sides 55 and 51, these vertical sides being adjustable by means of the locking members 58, 6|, 62 and 63 which engage the projections on said vertical members, one of which is shown at 59. Obviously, the magazine can be modified quickly and easily for various sizes of envelopes. thus insuring efficient operation in that each envelope is accurately guided into position.

In Fig. 3 it will be seen that the envelopesare piled in a stack in the magazine and that the lowermost envelope in said stack has one of its ends resting on pins H8 adjacent a suction cup 50, this cup 50 being secured in an arm 5| by means ofthe arm engaging the rigid section 49, this section having the flexible air hose 48 attached to its end. The arm 5| is fixed to a shaft 68, and this shaft is movably supported by a pair of arms 52 and 52. Another arm 53 is fixed to the shaft 68, and this arm has a spring 54 which exerts a pull thereon, and likewise tends to pull the suction cup to the left as shown in Fig. 3. The arm 53 has another connection extendingiin a direction opposite to that of the spring 54, and this connection is in the form of a link I II, movement of such link tending to pull the suction cup 50 in a downward direction.

The means by which the link III is moved comprises a sprocket 60' mounted on a transverse shaft 9|, there being a gear 84 fixed to said shaft at its opposite end. This gear 64 meshes with a gear Iii on transverse shaft 92, and this shaft has a cam II8'? mounted thereon which engages a roller I01 mounted at one end of a lever I08, this lever beingflxed to another transverse shaft 81. Also, mounted on shaft 91, but slightly removed from the planeof lever I08, is another lever I09 having a pivotal connection with the link III at pin IIO. bviously, movement of the shaft 9i imparts rota on to the shaft 91 through the action of the ca H6, and in turn the link III will move in a clockwise direction as viewed in. Fig. 3, thus feeding the lowermost envelope from .a stack of envelopes doavnwardly along the vertical guide I06.

A means of preventing the envelope which has original position is provided in the form of bent. levers 14 and 15 having rollers 11' and 21 there-- on, respectively, movement of which is so timed that as the envelope reaches its lowermost position the said rollers I1 and 11 which have been retracted again assume the position shown in Fig. 3, and now the rollers grip the envelope by means of engagement with the discs Ill and Ill. The lever 15 is fixed to a transverse shaft 4 13 and movement is imparted thereto by means transverse shaft 92, rotation of which is received in a manner hereinbefore described. The roller 40 H3 is maintained in engagement with the cam I I2 by means of a spring 19 engaging the arm I8 fixed to the shaft 13. Inspection of Figs. 2 and 3 reveals that a reciprocation of roller 15 is obtained by the action 'of cam II2, lever H4, and shaft 13.

The vertical guide I06, which in this instance is a circular member so as to offer least resistance to movement, is maintained in fixed position by means of the arm I04 which is held to 50 the fixed shaft-I03 by the locking member I05. Further guide members are provided in the rods I00 which extend diagonally so as to engage the edges of the envelopes, thus assuring further that the envelope will be accurately guided on 5 to the belt. The diagonal guide members are held to the fixed shaft 13 by the locking members I02, V

The diagonal guide members I00, just referred to, have pins IIO received in their lower ends so as to provide a separator as well as a horizontal support just prior to gripping of the envelope between the rollers and discs. of course, these pins project out only a very small distance in order to ofler the least resistance possible to 5 feeding, but it will be readily appreciated that each envelope is efficiently separated from the stack. travels over the belts 88 and undera series of ball bearingscontained in the cages 18. Such constuction provides an accurate means of transferring the envelopes, yet one in which the effects of friction are minimized.

The mechanical movement of the suction cup 50 has been described, and the means by which been sucked downwardly from returning to its I49 which tends to maintain the roller I54 in I engagement with the roller I59. The roller I54 After being separated the envelope which it is transferred to roller I54, which is the 7 shaft I23 extends inwardly and has mounted thereon substantially at its mid-portion an element I13 which has a type engaging face I14,

whichas shown, is adapted for printing a small amount of printed matter on the envelopes, but which may be obviously modified to print any amount desired.

A gear I24-is mounted onthe shaft I23, and this gear meshes with a pinion I25 mounted on the shaft I26, this shaft having an inking roller mounted thereon. Another pinion I21 meshes 25 with the pinion I25 and this latter pinion is mounted on the shaft I20 upon which 'a second inking roller is mounted. The latter pinion meshes with the gear I29 mounted on the shaft I30. The gear I29 meshes with the pinion I3I which Is mounted on the shaft I33, this shaft having a sleeve I32 mounted thereon to which another inking. roller I52 is secured.

Sliding movement of the inking roller I52 is obtained by engagement of the eccentrically mounted plate I5I with. the collar I50 on the sleeve I32, the plate I5I being fixed to the shaft I30 so that rotation of the shaft I 30 will rotate the inking roller I52 and slide it transversely in engagement with the inking rollers I53 and I54. The inking roller I54 is mounted on shaft I55 which is received in trunnions I56 and I51, these trunnions being mounted-upon a shaft I58, there being a lever'i48 fixed to said shaft and a spring oscillates back and forth and in this manner transfers ink from the initial inking roller I59 to one of the intermediate inking rollers I52. Of course, to obtain such oscillation the resistance offered by spring I49 must be overcome and this is achieved by engagement of the pin I I5 on the connecting rod I80, with the spring rocker arm I48. The initial inking roller I59 receives the ink, or other coloring matter, from the container I62 and is intermittently rotated by means of a. spur wheel I84. Intermittent movement of the spur wheel I04 is obtained from the cam I90 fixed to the shaft I30 and engaging a roller I89 on the forked end of a connecting rod I80, this connecting rod having a pivotal connection.I8I with a small link I82 upon which a dog I83 is mounted so as to engage the spurs on the spur wheel I 84. The dog is held in constant engagement through the lever I85 by the spring I86, this spring being connected to the pin I81 mounted on the supporting plate I46,

The ink, or coloring matter, is first received upon the intermittently rotated roller I59, after oscillating roller. Upon oscillation of the roller I54 the roller I52 is coated with coloring matter .and this coating is transferred evenly and smoothly to another intermediate inking roller I53 by rotation of said rgler-as well as move- 75 face of the roller H9.

ment in an axial direction. The last named roller I52- revolves in contact with a fourth inking roller shown supported on theshait I28, and finally this roller contacts two other rollers, I06 and the roller supported on shaft I28, which, in turn, ink the type.

One of the final inking rollers I66 is mounted on a shaft W5 which revolves in arms H84, said arms being adjustably fixed to a shaft 503.

The cylinder which engages the lower surface of the envelope N as it is being printed, is mounted on the shaft 635, movement being imparted to, this shaft by means of the gear $30 which meshes with the gear I20. A sprocket I36 is fixed to the shaft I35, and this sprocket has a chain 635 engaging it and the two smaller sprockets I38 and M5, respectively, there being a tensioning roller we mounted on the arm I48, the said arm being secured to the shaft H0. The shaft 90, which obtains its movement from the sprocket I38, has a pinion thereon in mesh with a gear M0 mounted on the shaft Ifii to which a segmental cylinder M2 is likewise attached.

A belt 06 is provided for the purpose of conveying the envelope from the magazine to the printing press, and this belt encircles the rollers 87!, 88, 89 and 00, these rollers being mounted on the shafts ill, 92, 03 and 98, respectively. It will be understood that the belt may have a variable width or may consist of a number of narrow belts. A pair of supports 2M and H5 are provided so that the belts may serve only to move the envelopes and will not have to support any weight.

The finger 200 is a feeler which acts to prevent ink on the type from coming in contact with the roller I iii in the event that no envelope is caused to pass between the said roller and the type. The advantage derived from such a construction is of paramount importance because if the roller He becomes smeared with ink, a number of envelopes will have to be wasted for the reason that they in turn will become smeared. The finger 200 is fixed to lever 202, and the said finger normally rests on top of an envelope as shown in Fig. 6. The lever 202 in turn normally engages an arm 203 which is fixed to a lever 204, said lever having a camroller 200 mounted upon a pin on its innermost side. This cam roller engages an eccentric disc mounted on the shaft I35, but is normally disengaged due to the length of arm 203 which. with the lever 202 holds the cam in inoperative position. However, if for any reason an envelope fails to pass under the finger 200, the weight of said finger will cause it to descend and move the lever 202 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6, it being understood that the spring 200 is of light construction, thereby'easily permitting such movement. As soon as the lever 202 rides over the prong on arm 203, this arm will tend to rise due to the action of spring 209, and then the cam roller will ride upon the eccentric disc 201. The brake 2H will then be caused to momentarily stop the roller H9 at a predetermined point, and this point no on the roller H9 will be recessed so that the type will not engage the outer sur- In Fig. 6, the normal position of the finger 200 and the braking mechanism is illustrated while in Fig. 3 the roller I I9 is shown in locked position with the recess I I8 uppermost. The levers 203 and 205 are maintained in engagement with the cam 20'! by means of the spring 209 attached to the lower cross bar 210, and this lower cross bar has mounted thereabove a similar bar 2 whereon the means 2I3 for supporting the lever 202 is shown.

A pair of fingers are illustrated at 2 l 0 and 2 It, these fingers being attached to and moving with a small shaft I98, movementof which is obtained by the links I91 and I93. The purpose of the fingers 286 and 2H5 is to provide a means of registering an envelope just prior to its being printed, that is, accurately aligning the envelope in order that the printed matter will be placed in the desired spot on the envelope. By correlating the movement of the fingers with that of the roller lie and the type this may be accom-- plished. The fingers are bent at their free ends in order to lightly grip the envelope and retain it momentarily, after which the envelope passes between the segmental disc I42 and is ready for printing. The operating links I9? and I93 have a pivotal connection I96, and the end of the link 893 is forked to engage the transverse shaft i30,

upon which a cam IBI is mounted for engagement with the roller I 92 rotatably mounted on the link 93. Constant engagement of the roller with the cam is assured by the provision of the spring Hid.

A means of pressing the envelope against the cylinder H0 is provided in the idle roller I12.

CARRIER WHEEL The mechanism describing the feeding of the envelopes to the printing press and the placing of printed matter thereon-has been described and now the envelope is ready to have the fastener applied thereto. As a means of receiving the envelope from the printing press and transferring it to.thefastener applying mechanism, I have devised a carrier wheel generally designated at D, which consists in this instance of looped rods bent into the form of a segment 225 of a cylinder with the ends of the rods being held in a plate 226, the said plate having a collar by which it is attached to a rotatable shaft 221, this shaft being journaled on the frame in the bearings 236 and 231. Spaced inwardly of the loops 225 is another series of loops 225' held in the plate 226' in the same manner as just described, thus resulting in a carrier wheel of segmental construction, which has radially extending slots adapted to receive an envelope and transfer it from one working station to another. Mid-way between the plates 220 and 226' is another plate consisting of semi-circular components 229 and 229 which are removably attached to a plate 228 by means of bolts and nuts, or other securing means. Various sizes of the semi-circular plates can be used, depending upon the size ofthe envelope to be operated upon. Vertical guidesare formed at the sides of the carrier wheel and consist of the cross bars 230 and.2 30', the last named bar being held at one end in suspended relation by the link 268 which is attached to the frame at 269,

the said'link engaging a transverse shaft 2264 upon which one end of the bar 230 is supported in the same manner. At its opposite end the bar 230' is similarly journaled on a shaft 265 and said shaft is held in position by the link 75 

